


Colors

by alphadine



Series: Colors [1]
Category: Firefly
Genre: Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-03-01
Updated: 2012-09-13
Packaged: 2017-11-14 04:20:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/511248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphadine/pseuds/alphadine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>River experiences something new. And she is not the only one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Orange (Play of Colors)

 

 

***

The silence of the night cycle had fallen over 'Serenity' and most of her residents were asleep. Although she had, quite a while ago, learnt to push back all the invading thoughts from the crew to minor background noise, there were these rare quiet hours which the ship's small psychic pilot enjoyed the most.

Not bothered with the onslaught of foreign thoughts and emotions she sat relaxed in the pilot's seat - her feet carefully placed on the panels so her boots could do no harm to all the switches and displays - and admired the passing lights of far away stars and solar systems, while she occasionally checked the course of the ship.

She sensed him more than she heard him, as he entered the cockpit and when he let his bulky form fall ungraciously into the co-pilot's seat she didn't even look.

"Lookin' for patterns in the stars again?"

"Hmmm." She hummed an affirmative. He sensed her reluctance for conversation and fell silent, too.

She continued to watch the stars as the room around her filled with comfy orange warmth. Shifting in her seat to find a more snugly position, she only vaguely noticed that her skirt had rode up, revealing some of the creamy skin of her thigh.

Lulled from the warmth into the most relaxed state she had been in for a very long time, she contentedly closed her eyes and missed the sharp intake of breath from the other side of the bridge. As the warmth increased partly from the cozy orange to a warmer bright red-it feeling like someone caressing her bare thigh-she breathed a pleased sigh and languorously followed the path of the _Red_ with her fingers.

The loud thud of Jayne's boots hitting the floor when he jumped out of the co-pilots seat made her reopen her eyes. He stood just there and gulped audibly, his eyes glued to the warm spot on her leg where her fingers still trailed slowly.

"I'll be in my bunk!" He rasped hoarsely and before she could even say something he was already halfway out of the cockpit.

It took her a while before River noticed that the warmth and the soft orange glow had left with him.

 

***


	2. Red (Sensory Overload)

***

 

River jumped out of her seat too and looked after the man rushing out of the cockpit. Some seconds later she heard the sounds of a bunk hatch being opened and closed again and the soft hiss as it was locked.

She couldn't make sense of Jayne's sudden and strange reaction or what might have caused it _._

" _The colors are gone…what did she do wrong this time?"_ she wondered.

The recall of the sudden fall of temperature after Jayne had left made her shudder. She wrapped her arms around her body to stop it and glanced over to the environment controls, but the internal temperature was still adequate and hadn't changed at all.

Which left only one conclusion to the young pilot: The shift in temperature had to be related to the merc's presence or, respectively, his absence.

" _This makes no sense."_ River doubted her own theory, _"Internal temperature is constant on_ Serenity _. The settings are correct, there's no evidence of malfunction, it is illogical. The conclusion has to be wrong."_

The young woman was an explorer by nature and unsolved problems or hypotheses without proof made her antsy. So if these strange sensations were related to Jayne, as she assumed, she had to find proof.

" _And they surely won't be found in the patterns of the stars as they pass by."_

She checked the course of the ship once more before she enabled the auto-pilot.

This was new to her. She'd never experienced this with other people before. Their thoughts had always been like chatter on overlapping Cortex-waves; on good days as indistinct as static noise.

" _It's like empathy._ " She pondered as she climbed down the stairs from the bridge to the crew's quarters. _"Warm. Affection._ "

She snorted. " _Affection? From Jayne? Statistical probability would be too small to measure_." The very thought of Jayne having - and even _displaying_ \- any kind of feelings besides the usual grudge and sullenness made her giggle but soon she became serious again. _"The irregularity in my thermal perception could also be another unexpected side effect of Simon's new medication."_

Determined to find out whether it's another new skill or just a temporary medical side effect she was experiencing, she strode down the hallway towards the merc's bunk. Either way, if she experienced it in his presence first, it _had to be_ related to him in some way.

She was so wrapped in her thoughts that she didn't notice the _Red_ that seeped out of Jayne's bunk at first. As she raised her hand to knock on his quarter's hatch the _Red_ hit her with a force that made her stagger backwards until the opposite wall stopped her tumble.

She gasped in disbelief and looked wide-eyed at the _Red_ that floated in her direction. Backing further into the wall she unsuccessfully tried to swerve away from it.

Although the erratic colorful whirl that surrounded her made her head swim for a moment and it took her some seconds to adapt, it didn't feel too bad. In fact it reminded her of the experience on the bridge. The warm spot on her leg had felt similar although the heat that surrounded her here was more ardent than the warmth on the bridge.

The sudden touch of a soft breeze on the side of her neck made her jump a little. It felt like someone had caressed her jaw line with their mouth, breathing ghost-like kisses over her skin. Her hand shot up to that spot, where her fingers followed the path those ghostly lips had taken.

"Irrational…no proof…have to find reason" she gasped as the red wrapped around her completely and dazed her ability of cohere thinking. In the same way her brain refused to cooperate, her knees went weak and the wall behind her became the only thing that held her upright.

But even the ship's wall couldn't support her fully, as the feel of hands roaming up and down the sides of her body made her shake and quiver. She slid down the wall until she sat on the floor, legs outstretched and her arms limp. Leaning her head onto the wall, River closed her eyes.

The ghostly hands roamed up from her hips to her upper body and she re-opened her eyes with a surprised gasp. Her ticklish giggle turned into a lustful moan as they reached her breasts; softly cupping them. Without thinking she pushed her sweater up and again she followed the sensation with her own hands, mimicking it to make it more real.

She stroked and kneaded the soft rounds, weighted them and measured their outlines with her hands. Her eyes fell half mast when she moistened her fingers in her mouth to twirl and pinch her hardened nipples and they flew open again at the feel of someone lapping at her breast before covering it and sucking it in. Helplessly she whimpered and bucked into the imaginary sensation.

The whole time while she followed the demands of the ghostly hands, she noticed a moaning whisper in the red whirls that surrounded her, although it was barely audible through the sound of her own hammering heart. Someone was calling her name, moaning it, chanting it like some ancient prayer, and the sound of it alone sent delicious jolts through her core.

As the heat increased, further beads of sweat rolled down between her breasts, where a humming sensation still lingered from the prior ministration. River's whole body trembled with her ragged breaths. Blindly she stretched one hand out searching for something to hold onto before all these sensations would become too overwhelming.

When she actually seemed to _touch_ something with her outstretched hand she couldn't suppress a startled squeal.

River drew in a deep breath, closed her eyes and concentrated on what appeared to be there. Gently she roamed over strength under a velvet surface, a steady pulsing heartbeat - fast like her own - and a moist sheen of sweat. She let her fingers explore the surreal perception and sensed the outlines and ripples of bone and muscles. Beneath the tips of her fingers she thought she could feel a body, strong and rigid. Hair, short and curled. Skin, warm and scarred in some places. The more she concentrated on palpation, the clearer the picture became.

With one hand she was exploring the body that wasn't really there while the other hand still mimicked the sensations that came from the _Red_.

The voluptuous growl out of Jayne's bunk was real and seconds later River felt a weight shift and she was pressed further into the sitting position on the floor. Something heavy held her in place and made it difficult for her to breathe. She writhed and squirmed against the restraints of her movements, but instead of freeing herself like she had intended, the struggle amplified some delightful pressure on her sex. This blissful stimulation and the lack of air due to the pressure on her chest made her he dizzy.

Her anguished whimper was merely more than a whisper but the weight shifted from her chest in response and made it easier for her to breathe though the writhing pressure between her thighs remained.

She slipped one hand under her skirt to the source of the enticing throb between her thighs. She let her head fall back against the wall as her hand wandered over the surface of her panties. While one finger pressed against her clit, her others explored the dampness that pooled between her thighs and which now seeped through the thin material of her underwear.

The throbbing and the pressure against her folds rose with every second and when she thought she couldn't bear anymore, River shoved the thin cloth aside with a throaty moan and let two fingers slip into her overheated core.

As the _Red_ entered her, like her fingers just did, she welcomed it with a rapt smile.

The _Red_ whirled around and within her. She was the _Red_ and the _Red_ was her. She was floating with the colored cloud, twirling and dancing though the air. As she looked down, she could see herself sitting on the hall floor; her head lolled back, eyes closed, her legs tugged up with her heels dug into the metal floor for support.

She stroked and circled her folds in an unsteady rhythm, using her thumb to apply additional pressure on her clit and with every caress her nerve endings lit up like glowing embers in a fire place. River felt like she was a super-nova, sucking in every touch, every caress and the bliss they provided. If it was her fate or destiny to implode and leave nothing behind but a black hole she couldn't care less right now. The built up pressure was almost unbearable but yet so delightful and the _Red_ inside of her had turned to a blinding bright yellow.

The whirring noise of the color and the roar of her own blood in her ears nearly deafened her to her surroundings nevertheless she could sense the distant chanting of her name again. It was the sound of this longing moan from somewhere that threw her over the edge. She felt herself imploding, exploding and combusting all at once. All the built up tenseness inside of her blew up into a cloud of sparkling lights that mixed with the red hot whirl she was part of.

River smiled delighted at the colorful play around her - she always loved colors- before a peaceful tiredness pulled her down into her body again. Unwilling to open her eyes again and probably see the colorful lights disappear, she remained still for a few minutes to savor the aftermath of her orgasm. Contented she leaned against the wall and waited for her heartbeat and breathing to calm down again.

Albeit she still had no reasonable proof what the meanings of the colors she was experiencing were, she knew for sure now that it _**definitely was**_ related to Jayne in some way. And after this odd but nonetheless pleasurable experience she was more than eager to find out what was behind this phenomenon.

With a smile she glanced at Jayne's bunk but the _Red_ was gone. Instead a thin translucent shine that was shifting its color every now and then hung over the hatch accompanied by a low snore.

The hiss of another hatch lock made her jump to her feet and hastily she straightened her clothes before a ruffled and sleepy Malcolm Reynolds stuck his head out of his quarters and stepped into the hallway.

"Ah, 'Tross!" he addressed the young pilot as he turned into the direction of the mess, "You up for a midnight snack, too?" River shook her head slowly and _Serenity's_ captain shrugged. "Fine, but that won't keep _me_ from havin' one." He strode to the mess but stopped again in its door and turned around to River who was still rooted to her spot.

Reynolds' brows knitted worrisome as he eyed up his pilot. "You okay? You look a little harried."

River shook off her torpor and smiled at her captain.

"She's good." She chirped as she turned around to the cockpit. "She has some colors to take care of." She announced and entered the stairs to the cockpit. At the head of the stairs she turned round once more and added. "And a ship."

"You'd better do so." Mal called after her. He scratched his head, clueless about her odd remark about the colors and continued his quest for a late-night snack.

River slipped into _Serenity's_ control center, flopped into her seat and leaned back.

"And a mercenary." She whispered to the stars they passed by.

 

***


	3. Blue (The Cold Within)

***

The one thing Jayne Cobb always could detect, without any difficulties and wherever they hit, dirt was the brothel, or at least the bars where the women weren't no prude. And like any other time when they hit a moon or planet, he immediately set his path to this kind of entertainment, as soon as the engines of the ship went off.

About an hour and some drinks later he'd already found himself some 'decent' female company, albeit 'decent' in the _Jayne dictionary_ was far from the common understanding of this word.

The ample curves and the affectionate demeanor of that woman promised to give him some hours of fun between the sheets and a little sanctuary from the cold of the black and that was all he was looking for.

Soon they found themselves a room to rent and she did not disappoint his expectations about the fun. She was bendy and not shy at all when it came to givin' and receivin' pleasure, although as soon as they fell apart, still sweaty and panting from the sexin', he could already feel the all too familiar cold creep into his guts again. Pulling her buxom body closer to him, he instantly knew that all the heat she radiated wouldn't be enough to reach and melt the icy core that built inside of him.

Back in the bar he'd found the heavy odor of her perfume attractive, a welcome distraction from the smell of engine grease that always lingered in the air on the boat - no matter how much Kaylee fiddled with the air recycling unit. Now the perfume nauseated him and her ample curves were so different from the lean figure of …..

"Ta ma de _! Where did that thought came from?"_ Jayne shot up bolt upright. "Not again!"

"Mmm? What's th' matter, sugar?" the woman next to him purred and lifted herself up on one arm. Sensing that he was about to lose the interest in her, she seductively let her hand wander down from his chest south into his lap to his now slack cock and tried to convince him to go for another round.

Jayne rudely shoved her away and ignored her whining protest as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

"Get out!" he growled relentlessly as he picked up her clothes and tossed them into her lap. Her answer was a remarkable string of curses. Some of them even Jayne hadn't known before. Maybe he would have appreciated that input of foul language at another time, but right now, he just wanted to be alone. He sent a feral growl into her direction to spur her on when she didn't move fast enough for his taste.

Even after she had furiously slammed the door shut he could still hear her grouse and mutter in the hallway but he didn't give a damn.

Dropping back onto the mattress and threw an arm over his eyes. He sniffled and almost gagged in disgust, the smell of that woman still lingered on his skin. Things like that had never bothered him before, so why did the smell of cheap perfume, sweat and sex make him sick this time?

Groaning he rolled onto his stomach and pulled the pillow over his head.

This little core minx must have messed with his head the other night when she had been on night watch, he thought. She'd probably fiddled with the heat, too. It had been much warmer up there and she'd probably coaxed Kaylee into doing something with the light. The bubbly mechanic was always eager to "bring some color" onto the ship.

Actually, the orange glow and its warmth hadn't been so bad. He hadn't felt so calm and content in a long time and he would have been totally fine with just sitting there with Moony and watching the black. Though this he would never admit to anyone - _could never admit it -_ he had a certain reputation to keep up!

He scoffed and angrily sent the pillow flying into the shadows of the room.

Of course Moony had to spoil this perfect moment because she just couldn't sit still! She had to wiggle around to show off with her leg.

" _Creamy white satin girl flesh. The sort you don't get to see in any brothel or only once in a blue moon,"_ he mused dreamily before his suspicion took over again and his angry snarl echoed through the plain room.

The whole show and tease had probably been planned in detail beforehand, even and especially the amount of flesh she had to reveal. This whole _fancy-pansy-girly-gos-se_ had made him all woozy and he couldn't stop thinking about her skin and how smooth and perfect it looked.

Sure, there was more bare flesh on the women in them candy bar commercials on the cortex, but, the way _Her_ fingers had trailed the exact path his eyes had set on her leg only seconds before, had caused him to run into his bunk and jerk off like a horny teenager.

Down there in his bunk, it hadn't been just the usual seek for physical relief either. This one had been different in a lot of ways. Usually he would have thought on a woman posing and wiggling her backside, showing what made her a woman, and most of the time that was all he needed to 'get into the mood'.

Occasionally he'd fantasized about sexin' some women too, but in those fantasies, like in real life, it was never a tender act. Raw, hot and determined. That was all he wanted and all he thought he would need. Knowing which buttons to push, he always made sure that the women got what they expected so he would get his, too. _You give some - you get some_ , that's how it works.

Fine, it had started out _normal_ \- if one wanted to consider his strange lust after the little psycho-psychic as normal _-_ but after a while everything had become fuzzy and red and strangely enough it had felt like someone was responding to his fantasies. He couldn't recall feeling something so intense before. Not that he'd disliked it but it was so complete different from what he knew and that _scared_ - _"Nah, scratch that! Jayne Cobb ain't scared of anythin'!"_ \- _worried_ him.

And why this strange _desire_ to take it slow this time? And with Moony of all girls? He was pretty sure she was a first timer in the sack.

Although there probably wasn't a single soul in the whole 'Verse that could get past her over-protective brother or who Simon would approve of to bed his precious little sister anyway. The doc would probably go ballistic or have a stroke if someone dared to utter a request like that, but Simon's health was none of Jayne's concerns.

Albeit up to a certain point Jayne could understand Simon's notion. The idea of some horny dickhead touching the girl in some -or any- way that wasn't related to a bar fight made his own stomach turn.

Frustrated Jayne rolled back on his back again and watched the ceiling fan moving slowly in the dim blue glow of the emergency light.

It hadn't occurred to him that he didn't want some _hun dan_ to touch the little pilot, but at the very same time he'd imagined what it would be like to slowly explore every inch of that creamy skin o' hers and every single curve himself.

He'd seen enough of her - and not only that small patch of flesh - to get a rough idea how she would look like undressed _._ He grinned smugly.

" _The benefit of experience."_

When he'd let his mind wander over her neck that particular night, he'd marveled at how she would taste like and all at once the sensation had been there.

It had been like he could almost taste and touch her _for real_ and that she, someone or something would answer to this touch. And how he had wanted her to touch him.

It had all been so real. Her exploring hands and the soft mewls she had let out, the feel of her breasts under his tongue and in his mouth. When he finally had felt her wet heat clenching around him like he was really plunging into her, he hadn't been able to think nor to hold back anymore. He'd bucked hard into his hand, tugging, pulling and circling while wistfully moaning her name.

He couldn't remember he'd ever come this hard from his own hand before. His vision had become a blurred red cloud and millions of stars had exploded behind his eyelids.

The memory alone was enough to make him grow hard again.

" _Gorramit! This has to end before I'll go all muddy in the brainpan like lil' Crazy!"_

Jayne jumped off the bed and stomped into the bathroom.

He really had to get her out of his head. Yes, he'd gotten used to her… somehow. At least he wasn't freaked out by her anymore and the removal of all his pin-up-girls because their surreal beauty had suddenly become boring to him was totally coincidental and had absolutely nothing to do with his _acceptance_ of the girl.

But fantasizing about the girl being all naked when he was alone in his quarters? Sexin' her like someone he _cared_ about? And wishing she would care about him? Awkward - even by his standards! No, this was more than awkward; this was outright terrifying!

" _She can read minds, though she said she tries not to_." He thought as he turned on the shower and waited for the water to heat up. " _But she also said she could kill_ _with her brain."_

Jayne still wasn't sure if she had been serious back then, but he had no intentions to put the latter assertions to the test if she would happen to get a glimpse of the thoughts he was having about her lately.

And even if the 'mind-killing' turned out to be just one of her _feng le_ jokes, she would most likely at least whup his ass mightily if she'd find out.

It wasn't that he couldn't stand his ground against her, he was certain that he could, but he wasn't that much into pain. Furthermore the personal experience with the girl and the memory of Miranda taught him to better be cautious around her when she gets furious. Plus there was still the possibility of getting spaced if she'd get it into her crazy head and run to her brother or the captain with her findings.

Nope this one wasn't for him, not this time. There was a 'Verse full of women he could fantasize about or have sex with instead.

He exhaled deeply and tried to ignore the cold lump growing larger in his stomach as he stepped under the hot spray.

The best way to get her out of his head was to wash the memory of that night out of his brain with alcohol; and he happened to know a place or two on this moon where they served the right 'medicine' to forget.

But first he had to get rid of the smell of one woman before he could start to drink his pathetic self into oblivion about another.

 

***


	4. Green (I Spy With My Little Green Eye)

***

 

River hated this.

She hadn't had any intentions to join them on their shore leave but Kaylee had nagged and pleaded for her to come with them and get some nice things or just have fun window shopping. River had reluctantly agreed but only because the captain had also intervened.

" _Get nice things"_ she snorted. This moon was one of those measly little rocks in the backyard of the 'Verse where the only thing they had plenty of was dust.

She still had to find out what was behind that strange color experience she had made some days ago. Though it had been a one-time-experience so far - _maybe two-times, if she counted the smaller one on the bridge before, too -_ she was quite certain that this was more than just a medical side effect.

Lost in thoughts she trudged behind her brother and his girlfriend over the dusty sidewalk of what seemed to be the mall of this "town". She made non-specific sounds every now and then, but only when Kaylee got excited about some glittering trinkets sold in the stores.

Her attempts to convince the captain to let her stay on the boat had been swiped aside. Even as she'd offered to take the watch so everyone else could go, Reynolds had insisted that she'd go dirtside for some "change of scenery" as he'd put it.

 _This_ wasn't _her_ kind of fun. A fair would have been nice, or a circus, where she would be able to compare the physical abilities of the artists with her own, or find the scientific reasons behind things that seemed to be unexplainable or "magic" as the fair folk would call it. _That_ would have been fun.

But this?

She blew out a frustrated breath as she kicked a small stone over the main street.

She had been _ordered -_ by the captain - _on her time off -_ to go _window shopping_ with her brother and his girlfriend! River made a face. This was seriously humiliating and it called for a prank in return.

" _A mean back-coupling in the private comm-system of Captain Daddy's bunk during night time, maybe._ _Simple but effective!"_

She sniggered to herself at this thought. But it would have to wait.

She looked at her pathetic surroundings. There was absolutely nothing of at _any_ interest for her. She'd rather be alone in her room now, solving the color-mystery. Though it occurred to her that she would probably need Jayne's assistance to confirm any hypotheses she would come up with.

Jayne.

River sighed silently. It seemed that the big man had been avoiding her since the incident on the bridge a few days ago. And although she hadn't perceived any colors that strong again, there had always been a small puff of _something_ around him, mostly when he was unaware.

When he'd left the ship earlier on, she'd been able to see his colors again, albeit only for a few seconds, and she hadn't liked them. They were dark, somewhere in the range of blue and black, and they hadn't felt warm at all. They were cold and determined and completely different from the orange glow or the ardent red she'd already experienced.

He made it obvious to everyone, as to _where_ he was going to and though visits to the brothel had never been an issue before, or much less a secret, she couldn't help but feel hurt this time.

There was no reasonable explanation for it, but the thought of him being with someone else made a small green swirl churn inside of her guts, where it still lingered and festered even now.

On the other hand she had to ask herself how she would have felt if his colors had been all warm and red again when he was about to bed whores.

" _Probably even worse."_

River was unable to ascertain if she would have killed someone in that case.

She growled silently.

It had been a long and painful way to get at least some control over her Acadamy-inflicted irrational and violent patterns. The thought of losing this hard-won piece of self-control because of some _hideous, unexplainable and_ _ **crazy**_ color-sensation was clearly inacceptable.

She couldn't deny though, that she felt a slight itch to at least hurt someone right now and -disconcertingly - the thought of it didn't bother her as much as it probably should.

Shaking her head she growled again; louder this time.

It was more than evident that she had to solve this riddle quickly, before there were some serious casualties.

With all her thinking River had stopped in her steps and Kaylee and Simon were now a good way off ahead of her. They were so occupied with each other that they didn't seem to notice that she had fallen behind yet.

" _Fair enough,"_ River thought as she slipped from the main street into a small alley. She was fed up with being the third wheel anyway and the unpleasant pressure from the _Green_ growing and swirling in her belly wasn't doing any good for her mood either.

She needed to find Jayne to settle this confusion once and for all. She was so sick of not knowing, so sick of guessing and most of all she was sick of the thought that he might share this incredible, delicious and hot _Red_ with some… _random woman!_

Leaving the alley at the other end she asked the first passerby for the way to the red-light district.

She didn't look back or cared about the odd look the man sent after her, as he watched the young woman in the flimsy dress and those combat boots walking with determined strides into the shown direction.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"What do you mean _'Did River touch base with the ship'_? " Mal stared at the monitor in front of him and tried to make sense to the flustered babbling of his ship's doctor. "I thought she was with you."

Realization sunk in as the doctor didn't answer right away.

"No! Please, don't tell me you lost her _again_!" Agitated Mal ran his fingers through his hair, leaving it messier than before. "I don't have to remind you what happened the last time your sister ran away, do I?"

Before the young doctor could answer, Kaylee's voice piped up and her face appeared next to Simon's on the screen.

"Cap'n, it isn't all Simon's fault. She's prob'ly just got bored walkin' with us and mighta found somethin' more interestin'. Ya know she can get lost inta things, thoughts an' such like. She prob'ly hadn't noticed we're gone. We shouldn't have wheedled her into comin' with us in' first place."

The mechanic voice alternated between hope and guilt.

Mal Reynolds sighed. "I really appreciate you speakin' up for the Doc but that doesn't change the fact that my 'Tross is still AWOL and most of times that means trouble."

"We're in trouble, Sir?" Zoe entered the bridge, curiously looking at the steep crease building on Reynold's forehead.

"Yeah," he nodded, "Apparently Simon and our mechanic have _lost_ the doc's sister. Again! And you do know what that meant the last time it happened."

"Trouble." The first mate confirmed drily.

"Doesn't hav' ta be so this time." Kaylee's voice was sheepish.

"But odds are good that it is. And as you prob'ly know, li'll Kaylee, our line of work ain't exactly squeaky clean by Alliance standards. So last thing we could use right about now is to raise the suspicion of the authorities before we have our next cargo aboard."

He paused a moment, contemplating,

"Well, we shouldn't raise suspicion afterward either." He mumbled - more to himself - and sent Zoe a deprecating stare as her raised eyebrow and suppressed chuckle gave away her slight amusement about Reynold's way of thinking.

"But point is that we have to find River before the authorities do, and - consequently - us, too. I prefer not to have to deal with them at all." Mal turned to the couple on the screen again.

"Captain, I'm well aware that we have to find River as soon as possible."

Simon's voice was strained. He hated how Reynolds had reprimanded them.

"I'm also aware of the consequences which might arise for the ship and the crew, if she gets into trouble. Kaylee and I are looking for her as we speak. I just wanted to check if she might have returned to the ship, before we started worrying."

"She hasn't checked in and you can start worrying, Doc." Mal snapped drily.

"Has anybody considered yet, that River isn't a child anymore? She has shown on several occasions that she is able to defend herself if necessary. Maybe she's had enough of all your supervision and just needed some space."

Watching Mal fussing around like a father-to-be in front of the delivery room, Inara stood in the door and had listened quietly, before she'd decided to remind Mal of the fact that River wasn't a lost little girl, unable to find her way home again.

Mal scowled at the Companion who slowly left her place at the door and joined him and Zoe.

"I might, iffen it weren't for the fact that some _hun dans_ had sliced said girl's brain into neat little pieces before they'd mashed it all together again, causing her freakish state of mind. She is unpredictable."

"This from the man who elevated unpredictability to an art." Inara scoffed. "But River isn't completely helpless and I don't think you have to keep a constant check on her all the time."

"She has her moments." Mal agreed. "And _my_ unpredictability doesn't involve violence most of times."

The Companion snorted at his justification and Mal frowned as he tried to explain his point of view.

"I know that she isn't helpless; and _yes!_ I've seen what this girl can do. But that is exactly what worries me! Triggered right, she is not only a danger to herself; she can also be one to others. So as long as this _trigger_ is part of her being, pardon me if I'm worried."

Inara wasn't entirely convinced yet that, if River roamed the city on her owns, this necessarily had to lead to violent encounters, though the Companion could also understand Mal's worries about another violent outburst from River or getting involved with the local authorities.

Inara sighed. If the Captain had taken something into his head it took hard work and would take hours of reasoning and hard proof to make him change his mind. To press the matter on now wouldn't help River to get more independence nor would it make Reynolds suspicions disappear.

The Companion gave in. "Fine, if you want to see it that way."

"Believe me, I do." With that Reynolds quickly turned to his smirking first mate.

"Zoe, where is my tracker when I need him?"

The smirk on Zoe's face widened. "I'll give you three guesses, Sir."

Mal growled and his face went grim. "Seems like Jayne's shore leave has just been canceled." With resolute strides he brushed past Inara and called to his first mate "Let's get him. Maybe he can find our 'Tross."

 

***


	5. White (Hunting High And Low)

The old woman shook her head at River's description of Jayne. " _Wǒ méiyǒu jiàn guò tā_. _"_

" _Xiè xiè._ "River thanked her and sighed as she continued her way through the down trodden godforsaken town. For over an hour she had searched for the ship's Mercenary, but it seemed like he had fallen off this damned planet. She asked another passerby that crossed her path, only to get another negative answer. No one had seen him.

River turned around and closed her eyes. Her patience faded with every negative answer she got. Being a Reader ought to be good for something but she hadn't used her given ability for quite a while. Simon had convinced her that it would be wrong to use them to satisfy her curiosity or for other selfish reasons _._ Mainly to humor her brother but mostly because it also came in handy to gain some control over the voices she had agreed with him to stop using her Reading skills deliberately unless it was an emergency.

" _As if she_ _ **wants**_ _to hear all those twisted and confusing thoughts; dancing around her like butterflies; hunting her like angry bees!"_

Wanted or not, she _had_ this skill, so she could just as well use it. This situation _was_ an emergency of sorts, at least for her. Besides, no one would notice anyhow. And _if_ \- against any statistical odds - someone _did notice_ and _would_ complain about the intrusion of his or her thoughts afterwards, she could still claim that the reading had happened unintentionally.

River was certain that she would be able to sense Jayne if she would just try hard enough. This town and its red-light district in particular, weren't _that_ big.

Taking two deep breaths she focused on the mind-chatter around her and tried to filter out one particular voice, but to her own surprise she failed. There were too many of them and within seconds their screeching and rumbling made her head ache.

Grinding her teeth in frustration, she quickly closed her mind again like she had trained it over the past year and huffed quietly.

" _Perhaps if she just focuses on the colors."_

So far she had noticed this phenomenon solely with Jayne hence this ought to be the more reasonable and effective way to detect him and to avoid all the other distracting _transmissions._ She scolded herself for not thinking of it in the first place. The whole color-thing was affecting her reasoning powers more than it should.

She closed her eyes once more, but then she sensed someone coming into her direction and disturbing her focus, so she re-opened them again. Her body tensed momentarily and she could feel the small hairs in her neck rising while her eyes scanned the person for any potential threat.

The woman that approached her did her best to wear an intimidating look but River was far from being impressed. The other one surely looked annoyed and all kinds of pissed off but a quick once-over of her physiognomy told River that this woman wasn't a thread and she relaxed again.

"Whatcha think ya doin' here, Missy?" the woman sneered loudly before she even reached the young pilot, "'Tis ain't yer district! Ya better go home ta yer Ma, again, 'fore she wonders where ya are!"

River ignored the crude laughter of the people that had started to gather and crooked her head to examine the other woman more closely. Her opponent was a curvaceous woman with long blonde locks, loosely pinned into a sloppy bun and a face that wasn't unattractive as it was, though her eyes showed a hint of tiredness, resulting from a life that apparently hadn't treated her too well.

That woman had exactly the kind of curves that River knew Jayne liked on a woman, and that realization surprisingly stung. River stopped short in that thought. Since when did she care about how the women Jayne usually was with were built? And since when was she comparing their physiognomy with her own? With a low annoyed noise she shook off the thought.

" _Useless comparison. Wasted thoughts. Girl's mind is too destroyed to even be considered as mate. Physique never mattered."_

"She didn't come here to compete. She is looking for someone specific." River answered calmly instead.

Despite her attempt to reason against the disconcerting feelings that were stirring inside of her again and the thought, that she might not have the physique that would please Jayne in particular, the _Green_ burned like acid in her guts.

During the last days she'd done all she could to make sense of this strange color perception. She'd sifted through each of Simon's medical books and had searched the cortex night after night but she hadn't been able to find a satisfying answer.

" _Merry-go-round, Merry-go-round_  
We go riding all around  
First we're up and then we're down  
We go riding all around"

Ignoring the annoying sing-song-voice in her head that seemed to mock her and the endless string of unanswered questions about the color-phenomenon, River pulled herself together with a long, calming breath. If she wanted answers, she would need Jayne. If she couldn't find him on her own - which was apparent - she would need help. Maybe this woman - however unpleasant she might appear to River - could help her find him.

… _.._

" _River! It was very disrespectful of you to stick out your tongue to Mr. Huang!"_

" _But I don't like him, Mother. He's a boob!"_

" _Yet you have to behave with decorum. You don't display your dislike like that! It is impolite and you know that the key to success is…"_

" _Civility. I know. I'm sorry, Mother."_

" _Good girl."_

" _He's still a boob!"_

" _River!"_

… _.._

Outwardly relaxed and almost stoic River continued to eye up the other woman from head to toes. Seeing the younger one so seemingly unfazed by her rudeness unsettled the elder one pretty much; and the way that strange girl was observing her, alarmed her even more. But she'd be damned if she would back away from that little dolly bird!

"Oh, we're gorram picky ain't we?" The woman taunted and elicited once more rough laughter from the curious crowd around them. "An' who's that _Prince Charmin'_ yer lookin' for?"

River shook her head. "No, not noble," she stated in all seriousness. "Not even Core born or raised."

The crowd again burst into laughter and River furled her eyebrows in confusion while she tried to keep her steadily raising anger in check.

" _How can truth provoke such an unduly outburst of amusement? This is just stupid."_

River was near fuming and her fingers were twitching impatiently. If she wouldn't get anything useful out of that woman soon, she wouldn't guarantee for the woman's health any longer. She glared at the crowd icily but from the interjections of the crowd River had at last come to know that the other woman's name appeared to be "Mae".

Doubling over Mae cackled "Ah, dolly bird, as if some Core prissy would evar find their way down her'!" and after a while when the laughter had calmed down to some sporadic chuckles, she snuffled and wiped her eyes and her nose with her sleeve as she wheezed. "Geez, girly, ain't ya a hoot!"

Mae looked at River's distant expression and the younger one bit her tongue while she tried to blank out the crowd's amusement.

"Ya ain't up for much of a laugh, girly? Ain't no good for a girl bein' serious all th'time." The woman shrugged as River didn't answer, "Ain't none o' my concern, eh? Fine, who yer lookin' for?"

Letting out the angered breath she held for a while now through her clenched teeth, River gave Mae a description of Jayne. Recognition flashed over the elder one's face before it scrunched into a dark frown.

"That's the one yer looking for?" she asked disbelievingly.

River nodded somewhat surprised about the sudden change in Mae's mood. "You have seen him?"

"Yeah." Mae drawled out with a suspicious look at her opponent. "An' I wonder what a girl like ya wants with an asshat like'im?"

"A girl like me?"

"Yeah." Still somewhat suspicious Mae squinted at River. "Yer not of his kind. Yer different."

River had no idea what the other one meant with this statement. She was aware that she was different, always had been, but how was the other one supposed to know? Or, what was Mae thinking she knew?

Quietly River waited for Mae to explain herself but Mae had apparently already forgotten what she just said. Instead a look of unbridled curiosity appeared on her face and with an unhidden voracity for gossip she asked: "He knocked ya up?"

River sent Mae her best ' _Do-you-really-think-I'm-that-dimwitted'_ -frown for an answer.

"It's personal." She explained crisply, hoping that this would keep the other one from asking further questions and Mae nodded knowingly.

"It always is, dolly bird, it always is." She mumbled before she fell into some sort of pondering silence.

"So where have you seen him? I have to find him." River pressed. She had wanted Mae to stop asking questions but not to stop talking completely; at least not before she had gotten her answers.

The erratic behavior of the other woman truly was pulling at her already strained nerves and the idea of hitting something or someone - preferably this annoying person in front of her - became increasingly tempting with every minute that passed.

"Yer really sure you want to hang around with such a scumbag?" The woman came to life again but sounded oddly worried. "Sure, he looks passably handsome and parts of him are kinda … hmm…"

Mae's eyes closed with dreamy look and that was almost enough for River to lose her temper for good.

"So you've met him?"

"Kinda." Mae met River's blazing gaze with a lewd grin.

River barely restrained herself from breaking the other one's neck as she grabbed the woman's blouse and pulled her close. The speed of that action caused Mae to stare at her slack-jawed.

"Where?" River hissed through clenched teeth, shaking the other one like a rag-doll. The bystanders who had watched the strange conversation between them scattered instantly as they noticed the Killer-look on River's face.

Within seconds she got the information that she wanted from Mae and with a low growl she shoved Mae's slack form away, scoffing at the shocked babbling woman who fell to the floor like a bag of potatoes.

" _Civility is overrated, Mother."_ River muttered and turned on her heels and set off for the taverns Mae had named, but only after sending a final deadly glare into the scattered crowd as a warning not to follow her.

+.+.+.+.+

The tavern was greasy and the smell of stale beer was certainly one of the more pleasant odors that wavered through this joint. But Jayne didn't care. He didn't come here for the view or to admire the decoration.

He'd cramped his huge stature into one of the small booths and by this time he was almost at the bottom of the bottle in front of him. Preferring quantity over quality tonight, he didn't give a shit about what this brew was made of. As long as he could afford enough of it to silence the questions and thoughts that were whirling around in his head, he wasn't even bothered about the fact that it tasted suspiciously like turpentine. Although after the third or fourth drink from that bottle his tongue felt numb anyway.

He would suffer a monster hangover tomorrow from this rotgut, that much was sure, but such a hangover would also keep him occupied and would extend the distraction from any strange thought about the lean little pilot for a while longer.

" _There! Again!"_ Even in his fairly hammered state, the crazy girl was still able to worm her way into his mind. Apparently he wasn't drunk enough yet.

He emptied the rest of the cheap booze by drinking it straight from the bottle, belched audibly and barked a rude "Another!" to the bartender across the room while he scrambled out of the booth. Pushing other patrons ruthlessly out of the way he staggered over to the bar while he was waving with the empty bottle to emphasize his order.

He pulled out some bills to pay for the new bottle and harumphed surprised at how swiftly the bartender swept them from the surface of the bar and exchanged them with a bottle of their 'special-brew'.

Jayne grinned to himself. He'd rather go blind from this stuff - and the odds for that were pretty good judging by how awful this gnat's piss was - than go back to the ship less than totally sauced. Passing out from this swill was an acceptable option, too.

He grabbed the bottle deliberately ignoring the glass the bartender had placed next to it - unexpectedly enough for this kind of waterhole - and uncorked it with his teeth. The cork he spat carelessly to the floor; it wasn't needed anyway inasmuch as he planned to drain this bottle like the one before.

Taking a long swig from the bottle he leaned against the bar and hissed in some sort of drunk contentment as the sharp burn of the rotgut ran down his throat. It burned like fire in his stomach but he welcomed it as a sign that he was another step closer to blissful oblivion.

"It's a woman, ain't it? A fella gettin' tanked up like this - gotta be a woman."

Jayne slowly turned around to the compassionate rasp of the bartender's voice.

"Can't remember askin' fer ya opinion!" he grumbled and the bartender lifted his hand in a surrendering gesture and backed a few steps away from this bad-tempered guest.

Jayne growled at him once more and after another generous pull from the bottle he pushed himself up from the bar to head back to his booth with slightly wobbly strides.

He didn't come further than a few steps when he first noticed the strange feeling in his guts. For Jayne there was no doubt that the cheap liquor was causing this, but thinking of it more precisely it felt different from the queasy feeling that came with the inebriation. And despite the amount of booze he had already consumed, he was still quite far from the point where this queasiness usually would start.

This feeling was more likely to compare with a storm front coming. He almost could feel the hairs on his arm rise like he was near an electromagnetic field. Grunting mirthlessly he looked up and surveyed the other patrons that occupied this shady tavern. Weren't too much of them since this wasn't a place you'd come to for amusement rather than to get drunk in the quickest way possible.

There was something at the entrance though that caught his attention. It was like a distant whirl of energy or the wavering of mirages on a hot day. Albeit it might as well be just a trick his already booze-affected sight was playing on him.

" _Or there_ _ **is**_ _a storm comin'. Meh, who cares? This stinkin' place sure could use it._ " Jayne thought and shrugged while he lifted the bottle to his mouth once more to drown that strange feeling that rose inside of him. As he tipped his head back to drink, he noticed a slight shift in the crowd. They were stirring around something near the door that he couldn't distinguish despite his height.

Slowly he let the bottle down again and squinted to make out the center of the stirring and to see what was causing it when a staggering body parted the crowd like Moses parted the Red Sea. With a swift side step Jayne saved himself and his bottle from being knocked down by the flying patron.

Through the swath in the crowd he was now able to see into the center of it.

" _Zhēn tā mā de!"  
_

Blankly he stared at the bottle in his hand and then back to what he saw in the middle of the crowd. Confused he scratched his head. Well, he had somehow expected to go blind from this stuff at some point, but hallucinations?

And yet, as much as he blinked or rubbed his eyes to clear his vision, the scene that took place in front of him remained the same.

Jayne gaped bewildered at the lean woman that looked so oddly familiar whirling like a pushing and kicking tornado through the patrons.

" _Girl couldn't be here or at least shouldn't be. But when had Crazy ever cared 'bout things like that?"_

Other people had joined the fight and when another patron came flying his way, Jayne was still too baffled about what he was seeing to react immediately. Though he was able to avoid the full blow, the impact of the man's body made Jayne stumble and his bottle crushed to the floor.

" _Ma de! That's it!"_

Jayne was fuming. As if it weren't enough that this gorram crazy girl was messing with his brain and reading him whenever she pleases.

"An' don't tell me she ain't doin' that no more. That' s fuckin' _go se_! Cuz I could feel 'er ev'ry night, crawlin' like some frickin' little spider through my thoughts; savorin' em like juicy bedtime stories." He groused mutely to himself as he rudely shoved another barely conscious patron aside that stumbled in his way.

And now she was spoiling the fun he used to have with the whores, too and - _gorramit_! - he wasn't able to get decently wasted without her interfering!

Glancing at the broken bottle on the floor he made a decision. If he couldn't get rid of her by avoiding her - and he really had tried - he had to confront her to chase her away. He knew she wouldn't back away just so but if he was mean and rude enough, he might at least keep her at distance.

She was only a girl, maybe just a little crazier than others - _nah, clearly a lot crazier!_ Jayne Cobb had made a lot of girls cry over the years, some on purpose, some unintentionally, and this one wouldn't be an exception.

With a determined scowl he cut another swath through the already re-aligning crowd towards the center of the 'storm'. The nearer he came to the center of this fight, the fiercer the tight and nauseating feeling in his guts became. It was an urge to scream and punch and kick at whatever came into his reach.

Jayne gave into this urge and fended off some guys that obviously had consumed more 'liquid courage' than was good for them, otherwise they would have been wise enough not to tackle the huge Mercenary with the enraged glint in his eyes. Within seconds Jayne became a part of the wavering mass of fighting people.

Shoving and pushing and kicking his way to what he thought was the source of his seething rage, he stopped dead in his track when he finally reached her. Suddenly he didn't notice the battle around him and he solely focused on the girl in the center of the turmoil.

He'd always admired the smooth way with which she delivered blows and kicks that made men twice her size and weight fall down or at least tumble. The way she fought was the most beautiful art he'd ever seen. He must have stood there for a minute or so, totally out of it and slack jawed while he watched her fight.

A hard push at his back as someone ran into him made him come to again, just when River's gaze fell on him. A bright smile lightened her face although she kept on fighting with the same force and elegance as before.

Jayne was under the impression that this smile made the strange feeling inside him disappear with a whoosh. And River's face seemed to be a bit more relaxed, at least from what he could see before he was attacked by several men who seem to think that a brawl was the perfect addition to the awful rotgut that was served in this joint. And in his current mood Jayne shared this point of view wholeheartedly.

As if the tussle around them was nonexistent River fought her way over to Jayne until they were fighting back to back and beamed a blissful "Found you!" over her shoulder.

"Yeah, but ya shouldn't have looked fer me in the firs' place!" he grunted in response and parried a guy off who was going after him with the leg of a broken chair.

"But I need you!"

"Huh? Wha'?" The urgency in her voice made him freeze. Disbelievingly he turned to the woman in his back. He wasn't sure if he had heard her right, might have been the noise around them or the alcohol that dulled his senses. Roughly he grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him.

"What did ya jus' say?"

Her eyes were huge as she stared at him. To Jayne's astonishment she appeared to be speechless for a moment. Her mouth opened and closed several times but she clearly was unable to find words.

"She…I…" River stuttered staring into Jayne's eyes like a rabbit at a snake but suddenly her focus shifted. Her eyes grew bigger than Jayne had ever thought possible, she grabbed his arm and yelled "Duck!"

More by habit than conscious thinking he withstood the tugging motion but regretted it instantly. Over his bafflement about River's unscripted remark he'd completely forgotten to keep an eye on the guy who'd attacked him with the chair leg. A slip that came back to roost now.

With a sickening crack the make-shift bat hit Jayne's skull and sent him to the floor. He barely noticed that River cried out loud before she started to beat the shit out of the guy with the rage of a fury the second he went down. The last thing he heard was the alarming howling of sirens approaching.

"Fuck!" he thought before he fully surrendered to unconsciousness, "Someone mus' have called the authorities. We're humped!"

 

***

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations (no, I don't speak Mandarin, but Google Translate does... more or less)
> 
> Wǒ méiyǒu jiàn guò tā. - I haven't seen him.
> 
> Xiè xiè - Thank You
> 
> Zhēn tā mā de! - Holy shit!
> 
> Mā de! - Crap!


	6. Purple (Looking For Somebody)

***

 

"How many brothels is that now?"

Malcolm Reynold's mood was beyond peeved as he addressed Zoe while they returned to their mule, still no step further with their search than before. They've gotten nothing but head-shaking and halfhearted apologies from the people they'd asked. Dawn had already begun to darken the planet and they had found neither hide nor hair of the gun-hand or the pilot.

"It's been three official whorehouses plus the four unregistered ones." His first mate answered calmly. The Captain was upset enough for the two of them, why should she waste her own energy for something she couldn't change anyway?

"Zoe, what do you know about Jayne's preferences?" Mal suddenly asked his first mate deadly serious. At her bewildered look he explained: "Maybe if he's into some kinky stuff we could narrow the search down."

The woman's perplexed yet calm expression change in an instant and she glared at her superior with a mix of anger and utter disgust. She didn't say a single word but Mal felt the need to explain his thought further. He winced under her scowl and stuttered:

"I was thinking, that maybe… you two have a similar attitude. As fighters I mean and… well…" he added quickly as Zoe's eyes went dangerously cold before he blew out a frustrated breath.

" Gorramit, Zoe, I'm kind of desperate here. I want him to find River before she gets into trouble. Which you know, we can't afford at the moment. And I'm runnin' out of ideas. This is me graspin' at straws."

The first mate pondered over his explanation for some seconds.

"I don't know his preferences, Sir." She growled and exhaled slowly , "And honestly I don't want to know them anyway."

Mal knew that he was gorram lucky he and Zoe went to so much together. If it hadn't been for their common past he'd probably lie face down in the dirt by now, his forehead decorated with a neat hole between his eyes according to her stony-faced expression

With her arms crossed in front of her chest and an icy look on her face she continued to stare at Reynolds who had no doubt that she was _deadly_ serious. Literally.

Though she was still galled she couldn't completely hide the smirk that crept to the corners of her mouth at his relieved sigh when he noticed that she wouldn't dwell on his earlier insult. For now. But he was certain that she would set that bill straight another time.

"Besides," Zoe spoke again, "There's still nothin' that would justify the assumption that River is causing trouble on this rock."

Mal threw another uneasy glance at his first mate. "Better safe than sorry," he started tentatively, "And she is still AWOL. It's a matter of principle."

His attempt to turn the subject by putting his foot down caused Zoe to smirk even wider.

"We should check the bars and taverns then." She suggested and Mal's frown eased up. "Maybe his favorite is a freelancer."

"A freelancer, huh? Like Inara?" Mal blurted out without thinking.

"I heard that! " The Companion's voice, distorted by static noise, came dryly from the radio device in Mal's shirt-pocket. "And while I can choose my clients myself, I'm still obligated to the laws of the Guild."

"How can you…? Why...? 'Tis…"

Caught totally off guard Mal wondered how the Companion had been able to eavesdrop on their conversation. Clueless he fumbled with the radio until he noticed the transmission button was jammed and made a mental note to replace the old equipment as soon as they'd get the chance to - and a good discount.

Zoe rolled her eyes acquiescently and shook her head while she watched how Reynolds fumbled the com-unit out of his pocket. To her it was one of those unsolved mysteries of the 'Verse how the Captain always managed it to put his foot into his mouth when all he had in mind was to put it down.

Sometimes Reynolds' common sense obviously couldn't catch up with his mouth and to his - and Zoe's - nameless relief Inara apparently knew that already and didn't deepen the subject. At least she didn't mention it so he was quite certain that this cup had passed him albeit he realized it would be only temporary. He knew the Companion well enough to be aware that Inara wouldn't let a subject like that drop just so. He sure as hell would get his share of her annoyance later.

" _Sorry, 'Nara but you'll have to line up behind Zoe."_ he thought with a sigh before he focused back onto the matter at hand.

"Erm...'kay…What is it, 'Nara?"

"I caught a wave. There is a police raid planned at a tavern downtown tonight. From the bits of conversations I got, it sounded like the kind of waterhole Jayne would frequent; they are already on their way." She told Zoe and Mal.

"How come that Inara knows so much about Jayne's likes and you don't?" Mal whispered reproachfully at his first mate.

"Because she's trained in such things and I ain't." Zoe hissed back.

Before their banter could escalate any further Inara's voice demanded their attention again.

"This might be a coincident but someone has reported a brawl in that very same bar only minutes ago."

The Captain and his first mate exchanged a meaningful look.

"Understood." Mal replied after processing the news. "But…how did you access the police-waves, 'Nara? I thought they're encrypted."

The Companion's soft laugh came through the radio. "They are encrypted, Mal."

"Then how…?"

"Believe me, Mal, you don't want to know."

"Yeah, sometimes I really think I'd be a lot better off not knowing everything." He muttered as he ended the call and this time he made sure that the transmission button was really switched off.

Taking a deep breath he turned to Zoe. "So, a police raid and a bar brawl." He pondered. "You think…?"

Accompanying Mal Reynolds for what seemed ages now, his first mate didn't need to hear the whole question.

She only nodded shortly: "Best we don't waste any more time."

-.-.-.-.-.-

After the news that the police would be arriving any minute, people scattered like cockroaches in the light. Patrons who had fought each other with claws and nails just seconds before fraternized now and helped each other to get out of the building; at least the ones that were still standing. Even the guy that had knocked Jayne out grabbed the baffled yet still screaming, kicking and punching River by her arm and dragged her with him outside.

Perplexed by the sudden and unexpected end of the fight, the pilot stopped her furious attack at this _hun-dan_ for decking Jayne before she even had had the chance to talk with the Mercenary about the Colors and the strange feelings that came in tandem with them.

Her protests were swallowed by the noise of the sirens and the shouting around her as she tripped and stumbled behind her former opponent. Outside the bar, in the dirty side alley, the man suddenly let go of River's arm and left her to her fate. His care obviously only went as far as to get her out of the building. Maybe because the bruising and gushes on his face were still a vivid reminder for him how fast and hard this little person was able to lash out. Still baffled by the sudden change of events, River watched him how he tried to disappear out of the alley and into the night.

He didn't make it very far though. Police was swarming all over the place and before the guy even knew it, he was arrested, handcuffed and thrown into a police transporter.

For a millisecond River was considering going back inside the bar when she noticed how a bunch of battered patrons were herded out of the tavern by a handful of deputies and steered into a large prisoner transport vehicle. She immediately pressed herself deeper into the shadow of the alley and scanned the sad surroundings for a place to hide.

The small, sloppy build storage shed that seemed to abut against the tavern-wall for more support caught her eye, but she wasn't so naïve to think it would be a good hiding-place. The odds were high that it would be searched before anything else. Yet she checked the handle but like she had assumed it was locked. She shook her head with a small scoff.

" _Why lock a shed that could be torn down easily with some well placed kicks? "_

The roof though appeared to be a decent observation point and regardless how shady and brittle this shed looked in the dim twilight it seemed to be solid enough to carry her weight.

" _Sometimes it pays to eat like a sparrow."_ She chuckled, _"Though Brother might not be pleased to hear."_

With no effort she climbed onto the small shed and laid flat on the roof to observe what happened on the street in front of her. There was still a hustle in front of the tavern. Blue and red lights were flashing, deputies on horses were trying to catch patrons that had been lucky enough to get away or slip through the police lines. Men were shouting vulgarities and insults and then she saw _him._

Two rather big deputies half carried, half dragged Jayne out of the tavern and towards the transport vehicle. It looked like he had barely regained consciousness because River could see how he tried to gain some foothold despite being dragged along and she couldn't hold back a startled gasp as they pushed him ruthlessly into the vehicle. She realized that he must be in some bad shape if he allowed himself be treated like that without putting up more resistance than some dazed snarls.

This was a difficult situation, not unsolvable though, but if the Captain ever gets to know of this night, River was sure that they would never hear the end of it; _if_ he didn't decide to maroon them on this dusty rock right there and then.

" _No, it's more comfortable on Serenity."_ she decided.

Now, if she wanted to stay on the ship she had to get Jayne out of prison, preferably conscious and without the Captain's attention.

" _Captain will not approve."_

River huffed angrily at the new obstacles that arose from the change of situation and got up to squat on her haunches to get a better look inside the vehicle.

"Miss, are you all right? You have to come down from there! Miss?"

River crouched on the brittle roof and looked down at the deputy standing beneath her with a puzzled frown.

"You can come down now. It's safe." The young man, whose manner reminded her more to Simon than she liked, assured her as she scooted carefully to the roof edge.

She could take him out in seconds, she thought, but it would be unwise because he'd probably be missed by the others. So she gracefully took the hand he offered and climbed down from the shed. Maybe if she pretended to be lost in this part of the town she could find a way out of this.

" _Couldn't be too difficult."_

Maybe all these boring lessons in manners she had to sit through in her younger years hadn't been so useless after all.

She smiled sweetly at the young deputy and wondered briefly if he really was that much older than her.

" _Whelp. Has to find his place in the pack still."_

Perhaps she could use this to her advantage.

"Miss, you shouldn't be here. It's not a safe place for a young Lady like you." He cautioned her again although behind his attempts to show a serious attitude River noticed the hints of a goofy grin playing in the corners of his mouth. It seemed like the young officer had more than just a professional interest in her.

" _Eureka!"_ River jubilated inwardly; obviously things were going just the way she wanted them to.

But then the young man's eyes clouded with suspicion. "Or are you a pro?"

River reacted instantly and gasped indignantly at the affront while glaring insulted at the young man. "How dare you…!"

This was probably the best imitation of her mother she ever did, she decided and prayed silently that she hadn't overdone it and that he would buy it. She was lucky. The deputy flushed crimson at her stare. Nervously he fumbled with the collar of his shirt.

"Er..um..I'm sorry, Miss. I didn't mean to…You have to understand…"

River scoffed dismissingly at his stammering and put the sweet but fake smile back on her face.

"I understand," she cooed, "You are just trying to make this area safer. And I really appreciate your help as I have no idea how I got here." She took a step closer to the man. "I'm terribly lost."

No one had ever noticed how well she'd studied that Saffron-Bridget-Yolanda-Person when she'd been on board and it irked her more than a bit. Nobody really took notice how fast and well she was learning just by observing things.

Wondrously this play really seemed to work. River could hardly believe her luck.

"Oh, yes, sure. Er, you understand that you were caught in the course of a police raid and that I _have to_ take you with me to the station to record and confirm your personal details. Statutory regulations. I'm sorry."

The deputy' obvious discomfort made her almost pity him but she dismissed it as unavoidable collateral damage. At least she didn't hurt him. Yet. And the thing with the personal data, well, she would surely find a way out of that, too.

She looked at the man in front of her with what she hoped could pass as a cowed expression. "The police-station? But the rowdies in the van are scaring her... _me_."

"You don't have to drive with the van." The deputy still didn't recognize that he was being played and laughed silently, "You can go with me. " He mentioned with one hand to one of the waiting hover vehicles.

Things went better than River had anticipated and there was only one thing left she had to know.

"Is it the same police station where those ruffians will be brought to?" she asked shyly as they walked to the vehicles.

"Of course. This town has only this one station, but don't worry, those bullies won't bother you." The young man patted her arm lightly to reassure her, "We aren't that many but the holding cells are safe. No one can get out of there without us knowing."

River lowered her face to hide the devious smile that played on her features as her plan shaped further in her mind.

"That's what you think." She mumbled, unheard over the noise of the still ongoing raid, as she climbed into the police vehicle.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Any sign of them yet?"

Reynolds' and Zoe's silhouettes blended in with the shadows of an alley near to where the raid took place. They didn't dare get any closer and risk being spotted and recognized because there were still wanted posters with their faces on, along with hefty rewards for their arrest out in the 'Verse

"No, nothing. There's too much confusion, Sir."

"If they ain't in trouble yet…" Mal growled and turned his head to Zoe. "… they will be - as soon as they're back aboard."

Zoe shrugged calmly while Mal was seething.

"Y' still think they're here?"

"Dunno, Zo'. But I got this bad feelin' that if they'd managed to find trouble, it would be here."

Whilst Mal and Zoe discussed the odds of finding River and Jayne in this balls-up they missed how a rather big captive was pushed ruthlessly into a waiting police van.

-.-.-.-.-

Deputy Darius Honeycutt was honestly relieved that the young woman he'd picked up during the raid - he refused to call it an arrest, because she looked all too sweet and innocent and definitely too 'Core' to be _arrested_ \- was so patient.

They'd arrived at the same time the vans with the other people who had been taken to the police station for the acquisition of their data and the station was a noisy mess right now.

Honeycutt was forced to give his colleagues a hand as several captives refused to be 'cooperative' and still tried to escape. He excused himself verbose and went to show River what a 'badass-cop' he was.

The young Reader quirked a brow at his ludicrous attempt to impress her. She'd rather use the time to figure out the layout of the building, its exits and calculated the best ways out and the best moment to break Jayne free.

She had seen how he and a few other men had been brought to one of the holding cells in the back some minutes ago.

It was odd but she hadn't experienced any colors since Jayne had passed out and she had the slightest hope that maybe this strange experience finally had subsided permanently. But seeing how they'd manhandled Jayne on the way to the cells, the blinding White stirred up inside of her again.

" _So much for undisturbed focus."_ She thought grimly and went through the barriers into the station determinately.

"Wait! Stop! Miss, you can't -!" A well placed punch quieted the alarmed officer and with a fluid motion she'd freed him of his weapon while he was still falling. Another deputy who came to his colleague's assistance was stopped by a bullet shot into his kneecap.

The sound of the gun-shot made everyone freeze. For a second or two the time appeared to stand still.

"Is there anyone else who wants to get out of here?" River yelled to the other prisoners in the room, hoping that the more intelligent amongst them would help her with the escape.

Some of the captives immediately picked up their cue to unleash hell by fighting the hopelessly outnumbered law enforcement officers more vigorously and after a little while the more simple-minded captives joined them, too.

"Thought so." She mumbled as she fought her way towards the holding cells to free more men in order to help take out the police-men.

On her way to the cells she passed Deputy Honeycutt; his face an odd mixture of horror, disappointment and utter disbelief.

"I - you - I thought…" he stuttered disbelievingly while he fumbled to draw his gun. River looked at him apologetically before she kicked the gun out of his hand and sent him to the floor with another kick into his stomach. The young man was too dumbfounded to react.

Lightning-fast River straddled him and murmured: "She knows. And she is sorry", before her small but powerful fist made hard contact with his temple. The blow sent the young man instantly into dreamland.

" _Poor puppy. Cute, but still too young to be a real part of the pack."_

Picking up the cell-keys she went over to the cells and opened the first door. The now released captives bolted out of their cell and she grabbed one of them by his sleeve.

"Make sure no reinforcement will be called." She ordered and while the man nodded she could Read that he would follow that order.

When she opened the second cell to let the captives out she picked a rough looking guy from the fleeing crowd, holding him by his shirt. Her small appearance still worked for the surprise element so the man didn't tear his arm free and run but took a second to evaluate the slip of a girl who'd started this all.

"No killing!" she demanded because she'd picked up his thoughts as he'd passed and he scoffed. River grabbed his arm harder as he tried to shake her off.

"NO. Killing!" she repeated gravely. The ruffian growled.

"Says who?"

"I do!" she hissed, glowering at the much larger man.

He sneered spitefully. "Do you?"

Like a whirlwind she rounded him and a split second later he found himself bound by slender but unexpectedly strong arms with his own knife pointed at his neck.

" _Arteria carotis externa -_ outer carotid artery. Injury is almost impossible to heal. Victim would quickly bleed to death." Her ghostlike voice whispered into his ear while. An involuntary shiver went through the roughneck.

"Who the hell are you?" he choked, struggling to get free but her arms held him in place until she spun him around again to face him and slammed him against the cell door. A terrified yelp escaped him as the blade of the knife nicked his skin in the process and the face with the hollow eyes in front of him wasn't made to calm him either.

"A nightmare made by man." She spoke with that ghostly voice again, her features emotionless, her dark eyes blank. "Spooking through the 'Verse. A whisper. A ghost. - I. Am. _Your_ nightmare!"

She didn't wait until the other had overcome his current shock and knocked him out cold using the knife handle.

"Boob." She mumbled as she stepped over his unconscious body and entered the holding cell.

With a quick glance around River made sure that there was no one in the holding cell except her and three prisoners. One of them was fairly familiar but all of them seemed to be unconscious due to alcohol, beatings or maybe both. She checked the two she didn't know and after she was sure that they were just drunk and asleep she woke them up with some well dosed slaps in the face.

"Go home!"

One of them blinked confused, scrambled to his feet and staggered out of the cell.

The other had the impudence to swat her hand off, slurring something indistinct and fall back to sleep. River increased the force of the slaps.

"Get up! Go home! Now!" she demanded growling.

With an inarticulate curse the other finally got up and left the cell and River turned to its last occupant.

"Jayne?" she bent over him but got no reply. Carefully she checked his pulse but found it beating strong and steady. Then she scanned his head for further injuries but except for the wound from the bar-fight earlier on and some minor bruises there were none.

She poked a finger in his side. "Jayne!" Still no response. Not even a groan or a hitch in his breathing. River muttered something under her breath about stupid Mercenaries and their inexplicable fondness of consuming vast quantities of alcohol.

The head wound still bled a little so she looked out for something to dress it with. Remembering that there ought to be a first-aid-kit in the police station, she left the cell again and headed back to the station office. The fight there had almost settled and most of the police men were either unconscious or bound. With satisfaction she noticed the destroyed wave station. From this terminal no one would call anybody any time soon.

One of the former prisoners turned to River as he noticed her. "What are we going to do with them?" he asked and pointed at the bound or knocked out officers.

"Holding cell. Lock them there." She answered and the other one nodded. He ordered some men to help him to escort or carry the authority personnel into the cell and made sure they were locked away safely.

River nodded her thanks to the remaining men and then sent them home. After the station was cleared of people she returned to Jayne with a first-aid-kit she'd found in a desk. With swift hands she bandaged his head like she had examined Simon doing it countless times in the infirmary of the ship. The only thing that worried her was that there was still no response from the Mercenary.

After several fruitless attempts to wake him or draw any other reaction from him she had to realize that there was nothing more she could do. He was too big and heavy for her to drag or carry him to one of the vehicles outside, let alone to Serenity.

At least she could make it a little more comfortable for him than let him lie on the bare cement-floor. She pulled the thin mattress and pillows from the cot in the cell, placed the mattress on the floor next to him and rolled his heavy body over and onto it.

There was little she could do now but wait until he would wake up on his own. Sighing she crawled next to him onto the thin mattress and pulled the shabby blanket she'd found over them both.

" _Captain will definitely not approve."_ She thought remorseful, " _but he can't change things either."_

And while she listened to Jayne's even breathing, her eyes grew heavy from the soothing sound and she fell asleep herself.

 

***


	7. Violet (Memory runs the Course of Time)

*****  
**

Jayne liked traveling through the black. He didn't mind that this kind of traveling meant to be confined to a 'flying tin-can' when in return it allowed him to leave a planet quickly when things got complicated or ugly. And in his line of work 'complicated' and 'ugly' were a major part of the job-description.

The only thing he missed when he was out in the black was to be woken up by the warm rays of sunlight that sometimes sneaked their way into a room through barely open curtains. From all the other nice things being planet-side had to offer, like willing trim and lots of booze, waking up with the warm feel of sunlight on his face was his favorite.

So he refused to open his eyes and rather enjoyed the warm orange glow that leaked through his closed eyelids and warmed his face when he slowly came round from the weird dream he'd had. Though he wasn't really sure that _everything_ had been a dream. According to the fierce pounding in his head, some of that must have been real; at least the drinking part.

And, _Dìyù!_ He must have boozed plenty.

Jayne groaned slightly as he tried to shift into a more comfortable position, only to realize that something was hindering his movements. He wasn't bound - that he knew from experience would feel different- so his next guess was that something or better yet some _one_ was lying on his arm.

He quickly confirmed this assumption fondling the person with his free hand and he grinned widely. This morning was getting better and better. Not only was he waking up with sunlight on his face, this body at his side was female, too. She was smaller and leaner than he usually preferred however, with undeniable signs that proved her to be a woman.

It didn't happen very often that the women he pays stayed until the next morning. The fact this one did must either mean that he had paid her too much, or - and he really favored this second option - he had been _that good_ and she stayed on her own accord. Either way, he was determined to use that for an extra 'morning work-out' with the girl.

A man has to stay in shape, right? And it wasn't likely that he would work out later on the ship anyway, with his head feeling twice its size.

With a sudden flex of his arm he made her head roll into the crock of his neck and he buried his face in her hair. The scent of hay and wild flowers filled his senses and somehow it reminded him of the home of his childhood.

He inhaled deeply. He couldn't remember a woman that smelled this good and he'd met a lot. To his surprise the scent of her even seemed to make his headache lighter.

If he could only remember where and when he'd picked her up last night, he vaguely remembered that he'd been sexin' some woman before he got drunk, but that had been a different one.

" _Ah, screw it! One trim is as good as the next."_

The woman beside him stirred slightly as he continued to explore her body. When his hand unerringly opened the top of her dress and snuck into it she gasped in surprise but didn't say a word. The gasp morphed into a soft moan as soon as he cupped her breast and traced her nipple with his thumb.

"Ya like that, huh?" he rumbled lowly into her hair and he could feel her nod.

"Want more?" he chuckled but didn't wait for her to answer as he stroked her nipple all over again. Every soft touch from him was answered with a small sigh from her and each time he stopped his teasing she leaned further into his touch unwilling to break it.

Technically he didn't need her approval. He paid for her and so he could take whenever and however he pleases. But where was the fun in just taking when just a little effort was making the girls way more eager to please him than simply paying them would do?

" _You give some, you get some."_

Sexin' by this rule, he'd never had to persuade or let alone force a woman into doing anything. His special attitude had given him a certain reputation in several cathouses throughout the 'Verse.

Jayne Cobb was a challenge, demanding and energetic, but every girl he chose got more out of this deal than just the money. So thanks to this reputation he just had to ask - sometimes not even that - and everything he wanted had been given somewhat freely and there had never been any complaints; at least none that he knew of.

Although it was pretty sure that sexin' hadn't been exactly what Radiant Cobb had had in mind when she'd taught her boy this rule a long time ago.

" _Meh. Who cares?"_ Jayne thought smirking, _"Works fine fer me anyhow."_

There had been other things and moments in his life where he'd tried to apply this concept of sharing too but that hadn't turned out so well and surely not so satisfying. So he saved it for the sexin' and otherwise lived by his very own _'don't ask, jus' take'_ -rule.

That was why, instead of just rolling her over, pinning her to the mattress and taking what he'd paid for, he continued to tease her with his hands and his mouth, his eyes unable to open as he enjoyed the way she shivered under his touch. Slowly he nibbled his way from her earlobe down to her jaw and copied the path his mouth took on the other side of her face with his hand. He was sure that if he played this right it couldn't be that long until she would hopefully take over and show him the dexterity of her trade.

Except, it didn't happen.

Obviously she enjoyed every touch from him very much but she didn't show any signs that she was going to return them.

Jayne sighed silently. He'd picked a newbie.

" _Great!_ "

He should have known by her scrawny figure that she couldn't be that old though that didn't have to mean anything in her line of work; he'd seen girls barely in their teens working in brothels albeit he'd always refused to sex them. He usually liked his 'Ladies' being more womanly rounded and clearly more experienced.

But here he was, with a girl he'd obviously picked in a drunken haze and without really looking, and if he'd be honest with himself, despite the fact he had only given so far and not received anything from her yet, it hadn't been all bad and it felt oddly good to hold her.

He liked the way her hair smelled and how her apparently still slightly inexperienced body reacted to his touch. Also he could get used to the surprised sounds his touches elicited from her.

He let out a slow breath and quietly murmured into the crock of her neck: "Yer new ta this?"

The girl answered with a silent nod. Jayne could feel her body tense with nervous anticipation.

"Ya want me ta show ya?"

Another nod.

" _Yēsū! Cobb, how stupid are ya?"_

Jayne mentally scolded himself. He should be fucking her from here to Neverland by now and not trying to teach the girl her trade. That wasn't what he had paid for.

" _Gǒupì!_ "

But maybe this was a nice change to the routine to solely be the giving part this time and admittedly the way she reacted to his 'instructions' were undeniably arousing.

His hand was still resting at her pulse-point and he could feel how her heart fluttered quickly. The soft throbbing under his finger touched something deep inside of him, a place he'd never thought anyone or anything could ever touch.

" _Prob'ly she's afraid I'd kick her out an' she has ta explain it ta her pimp."_ He thought and for reasons he couldn't grasp he took pity on her.

There was something else about this girl that reminded him of…

 _Mā de!_ Was there no way he could ever get rid of Crazy? The thought of her alone made his head spin again, proving all too clear that he still wasn't anywhere near sober.

" _Wonderful. So drinking ain't workin' either."_

Jayne groaned a long string of curses until the tentative touch of a hand that stroked his temple brought him back into the here and now. Deeply he inhaled the scent of the girl beside him once more; the scent of hay and wildflowers; the scent of summer.

The room was still filled with the warm glow of the sun when he let his finger trace to the corner of her mouth. Slowly he let the finger glide over her lips, wary to find traces of some sort of coating there but he felt nothing else than the soft and dry skin of her lips and the warmth of her breath.

Still suspicious he swept one finger over her mouth again, gently pushing it between her slowly parting lips and sighing with silent relief when her tongue darted out to taste it. If there'd have been anything on her lips to put him out she probably never would have done that.

"Here's the deal, darlin'"

His growl wasn't threatening but serious anyhow as he removed his finger from her mouth and pulled her face closer to him. He could feel her breath hitched from the sudden roughness but he quieted her worries with a gentle caress of her cheekbone.

"I show ya what ya hav' ta know an' ya make me forget. Think ya can do that?"

The girl hesitated for a second as if she had to ponder on his offer but then he felt her nod again and he relentlessly crushed his mouth onto hers.

" _Girl ain't talkin' much. Suits me jus' fine."_

Yeah, he was going to teach her and not only the soft and gentle ways.

He badly wanted to forget Serenity's pilot, once and for all. The way she was haunting his thoughts was giving him more than just a headache. It was disturbing and he hated to be disturbed.

If this rookie-whore thought she was able to help him get rid of those nettlesome images of a certain Reader getting' nekkid, then he was more than willing to give it a try. He'd try anything as long as it kept his mind from thinking of _her._ Also he would never refuse a good lay since that was what made a shore leave worthwhile.

Lucky for him, the girl in his arms didn't seem to mind a little roughness and she was also a quick learner. He only led this battle of tongues for about a minute before she grabbed the back of his head somewhat fiercely and took over.

"Ya better make me forget the nutcase." He whispered into her mouth when they had to part for air. "''fore I'll go all bonkers."

Feeling her quickened breath on his face he considered for a second to try and open his eyes and take a look at her but then he decided against it. Jayne didn't dare to take the risk and find out that she might resemble the one person he didn't want to think of, especially now that he was just about to feel better.

The young whore seemed to be fond of the kissing because she requisitioned his mouth again and what she lacked in finesse she compensated with eagerness and ambition. Nimble hands made their way under his shirt mapping his chest, exploring the muscles under his skin and the scars on it. When she toyed with the short hair there he thought he could hear her sighing approvingly.

It amazed him how someone who he thought was doing this for a living could still sound so surprised and fascinated as if she would experience this for the first time. This girl must be a hell of an actress, or no one had ever taught her anything about the trade at all and she was actually as unversed as she appeared.

But whatever the reason might be, one thing was for sure: This girl might be young and inexperienced but once nudged into the right direction she could be a real vixen and she was definitely not shy at all.

Jayne chuckled, amused as she grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it quickly over his head but not far enough to remove it completely and left him slackly trapped in this makeshift handcuffs/blindfold combination.

"Hey!"

His protest only got a low hum for an answer. It wasn't that he couldn't free himself within seconds if he wanted to, but somehow he trusted her and even if this should turn out to be a mistake he was sure he could overpower this slip of a girl fairly easy if necessary.

Tangled in his shirt he finally opened his eyes but the material was hindering his sight and all he could make out was that he clearly had misinterpreted the time.

The light that got through the material of his shirt had a hue of red like sunset glow and the hotness of the day had heated it up noticeably. It all pointed at the fact that it was rather evening than noon. He must have been here longer than he'd thought.

" _Ah, fuck, and iffen it would be so? Who cares? This's jus' startin' to be fun an' I'm late anyway so Mal will surely be pissed as hell no matter what."_

He closed his eyes again and continued to savor the girl's keen attempts to pleasure him. She'd straddled his lap the minute she'd immobilized his arms with his shirt and now her fingers were exploring him further. He growled lowly but not unkind when her ministrations tickled his sides. She also nipped and licked at his torso as if she wanted to memorize every variety of his taste.

Slowly she moved down towards the waistband of his pants. The sensation of how she mapped the lines of his abs with her finger and followed their path with her mouth before her tongue dipped quickly into the indention of his navel made him shiver pleasantly. The whole time her body was pressed against his hardened dick and every time she slithered down a little more to explore another part of his body, it caused some very stimulating friction to his groin.

Jayne drew in a hissing breath through his teeth when the pert and curious tip of her tongue darted past his waistband, eager to find out what was hidden there.

With the same goal-directed determination with which he'd unbuttoned the top of her dress earlier, she now unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. Though her determination came to a sudden halt when she finally saw what had been just conjecturable before through his cargos.

Jayne grinned smugly under his shirt as he heard her swallow audibly and he noticed a slight tremble of her hand as she tentatively touched his now freed erection.

"Impressed? Don't worry, darlin', I'm gonna have ya lubed up all good 'n plenty in no time and when the teasing's over, ya ain't wanna have less."

His conceited assurance made her scoff and she grasped him fully to run her hand slowly up and down his lengths, showing him that she weren't afraid in the least.

Once again she proved her quick-wittedness. Guided by his moans, surprised gasps and occasional curses she figured out how to pleasure him most effectively in no time.

He could hear his own rapid heartbeat pounding in his ears; occasionally muted by his ribald cursing - which he reckoned as an encouragement for the girl to go on- and his panting breaths. The heat in the room had intensified to a point almost unbearable, leaving him sweat-soaked and almost suffocated by the shirt over his face.

Time to change terms.

"Enough!" he ordered hoarsely while he untangled himself from his shirt one-handed and grabbed her oh-so-able hands with the other; forcing her to stop before he would completely lose control.

"My turn." He demanded and used his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face.

Without looking at her closely - his vision was blurry from the heat and the red light of the sunset that flooded the room anyway - he grabbed her at her waist and quickly turned her onto her stomach. He still refused to see her face, afraid to find any resemblance between her and the Reader.

With a fast motion he grabbed the skirt of her dress, bunched it up and threw it over her head, forcing her into a similar blind condition he had been in before. Another swift motion of his hand pushed down her surprisingly plain panties. Her protesting yelp made him answer with a hearty smack at her rear.

She tried to free herself from the confinements of that skirt thrown over her upper body and while she did he marveled at her wiggling backside, listening to her muffled protest before he slapped her bottom once again.

"Shut up!" he ordered. "My turn, my rules."

The muted snarl that came out from under the skirt made him chuckle. This little whore was definitely none of the acquiescent kind.

He let his hands wander over her firm buttocks, before rounding over her hips and sliding his hands up until they reached the small globes of her breasts. Pulling her upright into his lap he taunted her hardened nipples.

"Ya think ya know ev'rythin' now that ya figured out how ta give me a hard-on?" He growled lowly into her neck. He could feel her shiver in his arms as he rubbed his hardness in the cleft between her ass cheeks to verify his point.

"'Cause that's the easy part, ya know. " He chuckled and with a satisfied smile he noticed the little whining sound she made when he let go of her breast, slinging one arm around her torso to press her further into his chest. Keeping her in place with one arm he let his free hand glide south until he reached the juncture of her thighs.

Two of his calloused fingers sneaked through the short hair there, resting shortly on the sensitive nub that marked the entrance of her sex, swirling small circles around it before they moved on, parting the soft flesh of her center.

The girl groaned with pleasure; her body slumped forward and Jayne adjusted his grip.

"Wha'?" he mocked, dipping one finger into the hot wetness of her center, savoring her sensual sigh. " Is'at already ta much fer ya?"

Before she could recover from her surprise he added the second finger to the first, holding them still until he felt her adjust and she sat up again.

"Good gal." he whispered into her neck, setting a slow path. Instantly her body tensed again.

"Shh…Relax, girlie, an' enjoy."

She was hesitant for a second but then his soothing rumble had the desired effect and she leaned further into his touch. Soon her breathing leveled up with the rhythm of his strokes.

By the way she was quivering in his arms he could tell she was more than ready for more although the soft mewls of pleasure the whore let out occasionally confused him because despite they were muffled from her skirt, they sounded so damn alike to the sounds _She_ made in all those inexplicable crazy dreams and heated fantasies that bothered him lately.

He groaned exasperated. Just teasing this woman apparently still left him too much room to think. He had to do something that would stop his ruminations for good.

Quickly removing his fingers from her core he lifted the whore up he plunged relentlessly inside her wet heat before she could even utter some sort of protest. Her small pained outcry startled him nevertheless, although he should have expected it. Sometimes even more experienced whores had issues with his size.

" _Girl's gorram tight. Must've hurt her."_

He mumbled soothing words into her neck as he waited for her to adjust to his girth. Flicking his thumb over her clit he tried to make up for her discomfort. He should have warned her but on the other hand he hadn't wanted to scare her away.

Why did he care so much for this stranger? She wasn't anything like _Her_ , wasn't she? Not even close. Except maybe for her figure; her breasts were barely filling one of his large hands each. Or was it because of her toned legs? Or the firmness of her rear? Or her hair that smelled like a summer breeze ?

The tenseness in her body ceased eventually and he slowly started moving inside of her.

Why did fucking this random whore feel so much like how he imagined fucking the Reader in his dreams?

Most likely his drunken mind was still playing tricks on him, he decided as he gently lowered her torso down on the mattress and sped up the pace of his thrusts.

" _Wǒ cāo! All I wanted was to have it off. A nice tussle before I'm gonna return to the ship. Somethin' that woulda leave me exhausted enough to stop this gorram musing' 'bout Moonbrain. An' I'll be damned if I won't get it somehow."_

Panting he held tight to one of her shoulders, to anchor her against his thrusts as well as to anchor himself against all the weird impressions of this encounter. Jayne sped up the rhythm of his pounding.

He didn't care anymore if she was able to follow the hammering path he'd set but after she had overcome the initial shock of this unannounced penetration, she met each of his thrusts with the very same eagerness she'd displayed on everything else so far.

Her short cries and panted moans were fueling him on further and maybe it was the alcohol still circling in his system or the whirling _Red_ that pulsed in strange synchronicity with the rush of his own blood in his ears around him that made him remove the skirt from the whores head, pulling her upright again and burying his face in her dark, summer-scented curls.

He was already past the point where the whore's possible resemblance with River would matter to him anyhow and he could already feel the familiar tightness in his balls that announced his impending climax.

"Come on, _Bǎobèi_! Let go!"

The whore was trembling in his arms, breathing as heavily as he was, and her velvet inner walls fluttered around his cock as he unrelentingly pumped into her.

Reaching down he circled his thumb around her sensitive bud until she let out a strained wail, arching her back.

Captured inside the swirling _Red_ which had changed now into a blinding, blistering yellow and orange fire that was about to consume him, he didn't hold back anymore. With a hoarse roar he followed her over the brink and as he collapsed sideways on the bed, spent, dazed and out of breath, he held the whore tight and pulled her down with him.

When his breathing returned to normal again he remembered the other whore he'd had earlier on and it occurred to him how grossed out he'd been afterwards.

But with this one he felt different. He enjoyed holding her tight, smelling this still present scent of a light summer breeze, albeit it was now mixed with a hint of sweet sweat and sexin'.

" _Intoxicating."_ He thought, inhaling deeply.

The _Red_ was still palpable in the room though it was reduced to a lighter orange tinge and the temperature had cooled down to a more comfortable degree. He could stay here forever if he had to and he hadn't had to think of the Reader for a while now, too.

This whore was something special that much was sure.

Curiously he rose up, resting on his elbow. With a lazy motion he brushed a tangled lock behind her ear.

"Well, ya really did it. Ya made me forget what I didn't wanna think about. How'd ya do that? What's yer secret?"

Murmuring he caressed her ear with his lips, nibbled softly at her earlobe and gently turned her face, waiting for her to answer.

"Gorram hell! Crazy?" He stammered as he recognized the face that smiled back at him, her eyes still a little clouded from her previous climax.

Horrified he scrambled away from the young woman in his arm.

" _What kind of fēng le mind fuck is goin' on here?"_

***

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dìyù! - Hell!
> 
> Yēsū! - Jesus!
> 
> Mā de! - Shit!
> 
> Wǒ cāo! - Fuck!
> 
> Bǎo bèi - Darling
> 
> fēng le - crazy


End file.
